magic a kind of queen tour dates 2021

Magic - A Kind Of Queen

Widely regarded as the finest tribute to Queen in a show featuring all their greatest hits including Bohemian Rhapsody, A Kind Of Magic, Under more...

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Here are the most recent UK tour dates we had listed for Magic - A Kind Of Queen. Were you there?

• Feb 04 2022 Milton Keynes, The Stables Magic - The History Of Queen Magic - A Kind Of Queen
• Nov 12 2021 Cwmbran, Congress Theatre Magic - A Kind Of Queen
• Jul 31 2021 St Helens Theatre Royal Magic - A Kind Of Queen
• Apr 04 2020 The Stag Sevenoaks Magic - A Kind Of Queen
• Mar 05 2020 Romford, Brookside Theatre Magic - A Kind Of Queen
• Sep 20 2019 Workington, Carnegie Theatre A History of Queen Starring Magic Magic - A Kind Of Queen
• Jun 14 2019 Milton Keynes, The Stables Magic - A Kind Of Queen
• May 31 2019 Dumfries, Theatre Royal The History of Queen Magic - A Kind Of Queen
• May 18 2019 The Lights Andover The History of Queen Magic - A Kind Of Queen
• Apr 05 2019 Abergavenny, Borough Theatre Magic - A Kind Of Queen

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REVIEW BY MANAWATU GUARDIAN

QUEEN: IT’S A KINDA MAGIC PERFORMANCES POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19

NEWS: Durban 2020

PRESS RELEASE: CANADA 2020

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Queen - It's a Kinda Magic tour dates 2024

Queen - It's a Kinda Magic is currently touring across 1 country and has 8 upcoming concerts.

Their next tour date is at London Music Hall in London, after that they'll be at FirstOntario Concert Hall in Hamilton.

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Upcoming concerts (8) See nearest concert

London Music Hall

FirstOntario Concert Hall

L'Olympia

The Arena at Pickering Casino Resort

Club Regent Event Centre

Grey Eagle Event Centre

Great Canadian Casino Vancouver

River Rock Casino Resort

Past concerts

Bruce Mason Centre

The Opera House Wellington

Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre

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Queen - It's A Kinda Magic

Queen - it's a kinda magic concert setlists & tour dates, queen - it's a kinda magic at canberra theatre, canberra, australia.

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Queen - It's A Kinda Magic at The Arena at Pickering Casino Resort, Pickering, ON, Canada

• A Kind of Magic
• Radio Ga Ga
• Another One Bites the Dust
• Play the Game / Killer Queen
• Fat Bottomed Girls
• Hammer to Fall
• Bicycle Race
• Don't Stop Me Now
• Crazy Little Thing Called Love
• The Show Must Go On
• Friends Will Be Friends

Queen - It's A Kinda Magic at London Music Hall, London, ON, Canada

Queen - it's a kinda magic at meridian arts centre, toronto, on, canada, queen - it's a kinda magic at port theatre, nanaimo, bc, canada.

• Tie Your Mother Down

Queen - It's A Kinda Magic at Capitol Theatre, Moncton, NB, Canada

Queen - it's a kinda magic at imperial theatre, saint john, nb, canada, queen - it's a kinda magic at the playhouse, fredericton, nb, canada, queen - it's a kinda magic at shenkman arts centre, ottawa, on, canada, queen - it's a kinda magic at grand theatre, kingston, on, canada.

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• Crazy Little Thing Called Love ( 7 )
• A Kind of Magic ( 6 )
• Another One Bites the Dust ( 6 )
• Bicycle Race ( 6 )
• Bohemian Rhapsody ( 6 )

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2 Loud 2 Old Music

Queen – ‘A Kind of Magic’ (1986) – Album Review (The Studio Album Series)

During 1985, Queen performed at the Live Aid on July 13th in the UK at Wembley Stadium. Their performance is legendary and actually helped catapult the band back in to the limelight. The Live Aid performance was one of the biggest scenes for the film, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, in 2018. Still high from the performance, in September 1985, Freddie called the band together to write songs and work was begun on the band’s 12th studio album, ‘A Kind of Magic’.

The band continued recording until April of 1986 and in that time, they were also working on songs for the upcoming Sci-fi cult classic, ‘Highlander’, starring Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery. The album that would become basically an unofficial soundtrack to the movie as no official soundtrack was ever released. A lot of the songs on the album were from the movie and the rest were other songs the band was working on at the time. The album is noted for also being the first album the band had ever recorded in digital and not analog. It was one of the few CDs I had at the time that was truly ‘DDD’ which was on the back of the CD case. ‘DDD’ basically it was recorded, mixed and mastered all in digital and it was one of the best sounding CDs I owned at the time.

The album was released on June 2, 1986 and in the UK, the album went straight to #1 and sold over 600,000 copies making it 2X platinum. In the U.S., it only went to #46 and barely made Gold selling around 500,000 copies…yes, the U.S. requires sells of over 1,000,000 to be platinum. The U.K., not as strict. For me, this album was my first real dive in to Queen. It was the first Queen album I bought and it would start a fandom that has lasted for 35 years. With that, I think it is time to get in to the music.

The album opens with the first song written for the album, “One Vision” . This is the song Freddie reconvened the band to write and what a song to kick off the album and was the only song on the album credited to everyone (even though Roger claims he did most of it). Queen’s rock edge was back and in a big way. The song opens quietly then we get a kick drum and some keys and it just builds to the crescendo and explodes. If you had any doubts that Queen could still kick ass, they were quickly shot down. Freddie’s vocals were agressive and smooth as silk and Brian May’s guitar was screaming. The band still used some synths, but now it was to enhance the song not drown it. The song was even used in the movie ‘Iron Eagle’ which as a kid at the time that it came out, I loved that movie as the soundtrack was incredible. Plus it ends with a lyric change from “One Vision” to “Fried Chicken”. Why, I have no idea, but funny nonetheless.

The next track was from the movie, ‘Highlander’. “A Kind of Magic” was a line in the movie that inspired Roger Taylor to write the song. Freddie took the song and re-arranged it and added a new bass line to help the flow of the song and what you have hear is a wonderful pop/rock song. That new bass line sounds killer by John Deacon. There is a “magical” feel to the song as it seems to float and dance in the air around you effortlessly and spectacularly. The song was a global success, but barely missed the Top 40 in the U.S. stopping at #42. Still, it is a great song.

Then John Deacon gets in on the act with a very sexy song called “One Year of Love” . The song is also from ‘Highlander’ and was playing in a bar scene in the movie. The song does not have a guitar solo and Brian May isn’t even on the song. Instead of a guitar solo you get a sensual sax solo which turns the song into a sultry little song. There is also a string orchestration added that adds to the sexiness of the song. And then you add Freddie’s emotive vocals and it is elevated the ballad in to quite a beautiful song.

“Pain is So Close to Pleasure” was written by Deacon and Mercury and Freddie actually sings it all in falsetto and I believe is the last time he ever does that in a Queen song. It is a little heavier on the keyboards but it ain’t a disco song, no. It is more soulful and more Motown and Deacon’s bass is quite prominent in the background as he lays down a nice funky little groove.

Mercury and Deacon team up again for the next track, “Friends Will Be Friends” . It opens with a brief guitar solo and turns in to more of a piano based song. I’ve seen this compared as a modern update to “We Are the Champions”, but sadly no where near as good. It isn’t a bad song at all, just a little cheesy and over the top in its lyrics. Too sappy and I grew a little tired of this one over the years. Maybe if I was drunk and with a bunch of friends and we were singing karaoke, this might be a good one to play.

“Who Wants to Live Forever” is one of my all time favorite Queen songs. It was written by Brian May and sung by both him and Freddie. It is a love song from the movie ‘Highlander’ and is nothing short of sensational. With heavy orchestration by the great Michael Kamen, it is haunting at times and quite elegant at others. The songs feels epic and atmospheric as it dances through heaven’s in your mind and your heart. The song builds up throughout and and is capped off by one of Freddie’s best vocal performances he has ever given. Wow! is the best way to sum it all up…Wow!!

The band completely turns it up a notch and Brian May lays it all on the table delivering one of his most incredible guitar performances he has in years. He completely shreds on this metal song from the movie, ‘Highlander’ called “Gimme the Prize (Kurgan’s Theme)” . I also love how they intersperse lines from the movie into the song as it takes me back to the movie every time. Freddie rocks it out vocally as well and I love it when Queen goes all nuts and full on metal!! The movie phrase, “There can be only one” by Connor MacLeod ends the song with a huge explosion and what a way to go out.

“Don’t Lose Your Head” is another rocking song that was inspired by a line in the movie as well was written by Roger Taylor. Freddie sings with this one but he has some outside help on this one as Joan Armatrading sings some background vocals on it. I like the upbeat tempo and the fact it is more rocking at night, but it is also one of the weaker songs on the album. A lot of electronica elements in it as well which water it down as well. It is decent enough not to be deleted, but somedays I’m not in to it.

‘Highlanders’ theme song is the final rock track, “Princes of the Universe” . Played at the opening credits, the song is a bombastic, explosive track that is full of the power of the immortals from the movie. Brian’s guitar playing on this one is crazy and he puts his all in every note. Taylor’s drums are heavy and thunderous and Freddie is fully invested in the drama of the song and is in full on rock god mode. The May solo is some of the fasting shredding he has ever done and is way too short. That solo should’ve be drawn out longer. The song is perfect and might be my favorite on the album next to “Who Wants to Live Forever”.

Track Listing:

• One Vision – Keeper
• A Kind of Magic – Keeper
• One Year of Love – Keeper
• Pain Is So Close to Pleasure – Keeper
• Friends Will Be Friends – Delete
• Who Wants to Live Forever – Keeper
• Gimme the Prize (Kurgan’s Theme) – Keeper
• Don’t Lose Your Head – Keeper (1/2 Point)
• Princes of the Universe – Keeper

The Track Score is 7.5 out of 9.0 or 83% . I think this is s solid effort from Queen and more than a step up after the last few releases. But this album holds a special place in my heart so the score might be surprising to some. As I said earlier, this was my gateway in to the band. I knew the hits from the past, but this was the first album of theirs I bought and have bought many times. I love the fact they went back to being a pure rock band with this one and the connection to a cult classic movie I loved (well two movies actually), I simply never tire of this album. It isn’t perfect, but for me it is pretty darn close. I give it a 4.5 out of 5.0 Stars as the songs that are good on here are actually great and the misses are only slight blemishes. This for me was the start of it all and so, that is how it is. It was a kind of a magical moment for me.

The bonus E.P. has 7 tracks on it which might the most of any in the series. And some great ones as well. It kicks off “A Kind of Magic” and the version from the movie which has a different opening and seems a little slower in tempo then picks up, but it is not the same pop song from the album. The guitar solo and works is also varied from the album track. It all has a very different vibe entirely and I think I like the album version better. Next up is the single version of “One Vision” and the biggest difference is it has been shortened by over a minute cutting back on the instrumental pieces of the song including a shorter solo but leaves in the “Fried Chicken” line.

“Pain is so Close to Pleasure” is also the Single Remix which cuts off about 30 seconds to the song and also turns it in to more of a dance number. I’ll take the album version over this one. Then we get the incredibly beautiful piano version of “Who Wants to Live Forever” simply called “Forever” . It is all piano and no vocals and is stunningly brilliant. It leaves some orchestration in and it feels like a dream. Wonderful. Next we get a demo from August 1985 which is before they technically started working on the album. The song is “A Kind of Vision” and is what would become “One Vision” on the album. It is a very different animal as it isn’t very rocking and recorded using a drum track and synths. It is still a very cool demo to see where the song began. I guess they liked the “A Kind of” part as they would reuse that. This is the coolest track on the bonus disc.

Next we get a live version of “One Vision” from Wembley Stadium recorded on July 11, 1986 only about a month after the album’s release. The build up of the opening gets the audience clapping, but they suck and can’t keep time properly. It sounds like it was the opening track to the show which it is a cool opening song. Then we get an extended version of “Friends Will Be Friends” called “Friends Will Be Friends Will Be Friends…” Yes, if you extend the song you should extend the title as well, why not. The song has been completely turned around and is a strange remix. Choruses moved around, verses excluded and moved, more effects added and they took a song I’m not a fan on and gave me something to like even less. Cool!!

And there you have it. I hope you enjoyed and we will see you for the next one…I now have a hankering for some fried chicken…strange.

UP NEXT: ‘The Miracle’ (1989)

The studio album series:.

• Queen (1973)
• Queen II (1974 )
• Sheer Heart Attack (1974)
• A Night at the Opera (1975)
• A Day at the Races (1976)
• News of the World (1977)
• Jazz (1978)
• The Game (1980)
• Flash Gordon (1980)
• Hot Space (1982)
• The Works (1984)
• A Kind of Magic (1986)
• The Miracle (1989)
• Innuendo (1991)
• Made in Heaven (1995)

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33 thoughts on “ Queen – ‘A Kind of Magic’ (1986) – Album Review (The Studio Album Series) ”

Not their best but who can resist the title track? Nice review.

Like Liked by 2 people

Thanks. Nope, not their best, but still a personal favorite.

Like Liked by 1 person

“One Vision” is a cranking track to open a Queen concert. Freddie sounds so bada** on “Gimme the Prize” and I love it! “One Year of Love” is such an underrated track in the band’s catalog. When I ordered the Queen 40 box sets, I purposely didn’t search up that track because I wanted to listen to it on the album and see if it was as beautiful as I remembered it (I took a break from the band for about two years), which it was. What made you decide to get ‘A Kind of Magic’ by the way, the first time?

I saw Highlander and loved the music in it and then there was One Vision from Iron Eagle and I thought, I had to have it so I got it on CD which was still kind new.

Nice, I love how both movies influenced you to buy new music!

Once again, you had me travelling back through the 80smetalman archives. I pretty much agreed with everything you say here except I would have deleted track 4 and kept 5.

Minor difference! Glad it took you back. It does that to me every time I listen to it.

I’m not very keen on this one, too bitsy with all the soundtrack stuff. Who Wants to Live Forever is great though.

That’s okay, we all can’t love it. But that song is one of their all time best IMO.

I’ve never owned this album but I like all of the hits from it.

Then you should own the album!!

I should. I don’t think I’ve actually ever seen it.

That solo should’ve be drawn out longer. That solo should’ve been drawn out longer.

So you’re saying the solo should’ve been drawn out longer!! I would agree!

Gimme gimme gimme gimme fried chicken!! Why, who knows!

I like the album but I’m a little surprised that you don’t like Friends Will Be Friends!

I used to like that song, but over the years, it has this cheesy factor that has gotten on my nerve. I don’t know why, but it does.

This making of documentary on “One Vision” might answer your fried chicken question. They were originally different lines they were trying out. Some of my favorites were “One sex position”, and “Two tits, John Deacon”.

Thanks. I will check that out.

Should’ve been*

Ha! I thought you were really emphasizing that it should be longer.

Fair rating. Thanks for putting these together!

You are welcome. My pleasure.

Excellent review. Thanks for including the videos. “Who Wants to Live Forever” seems like it could be from “Phantom of the Opera,” or, more likely, from the less famous sequel, “Love Never Dies.”

Amazing how they slid down the popularity chain in North America yet were massive in all of Europe. They didn’t;t really seem to bothered by it.

No, they didn’t seem bothered as they were still doing pretty well. For me though, their popularity soared after this album as I became a little obsessed with the next two as well.

I do like a few off of this one…especially One Vision. Good review as always John.

Thanks! This one does have a some great tracks. It got me in to Queen.

Yeah this album is still a bit of a mish mash. One Vision, Gimme The Prize and Who Wants To Live Forever are all good songs. Princes felt unfinished.

It will always have a soft spot for me since it was what got me really in to the band.

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Queen’s 12th album was released in 1986 during a renaissance for progressive rock, so the band were delighted to return to the top of the UK chart with a double platinum-coated bullet.

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Queen ’s 12th album, A Kind Of Magic , was released in 1986 during a renaissance for progressive rock music, with both Genesis and their former lead singer Peter Gabriel aspiring to the heights of Messrs. May, Mercury, Deacon and Taylor were delighted to return to the top of the UK chart with a double-platinum-coated bullet.

Queen, having survived for over a decade at the sharp end of the business, were now too canny to care whether they were fashionable or not. It was their appearance at the Live Aid concert held in Wembley Stadium that gave them national treasure status, exposing them to an audience outside their traditional fan base. Freddie Mercury was keen to capitalize on the moment and with the band off the road, having completed The Works touring, they assembled at Musicland Studios in Munich in September 1985 to pick up the cudgels.

Listen to the Queen album A Kind of Magic now.

A Kind Of Magic has a conceptual background since it was the unofficial soundtrack for Highlander, the movie directed by Australian Russell Mulcahy. The film came out a few months earlier than the album, which featured several songs that accompany the action and one, “Princes Of The Universe,” which is the theme song.

The opening cut, “One Vision,” is strictly a Roger Taylor composition (though credited to the entire group) featuring distorted, sometimes backwards vocals, electronic drums, and lyrics loosely based on Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream…” speech. A remixed version of the track appeared on the B-side to the single, released a good six months before the eventual LP.

With the band, Reinhold Mack and David Richards who shared production duties, decided to utilize the emerging digital technology, though that hardly sped up the process as Magic arrived slowly and wouldn’t be completed until April 1986, by when they’d shifted from Munich to Mountain Studios, Montreux, and London’s familiar Townhouse Studios. When finished, this became Queen’s first album on compact disc.

“A Kind Of Magic” also arrived as a single before the parent album and showed Roger Taylor to be on a hot streak. One of the band’s best-known and best-loved songs, the version in the film is quite different to the one that appears on the record. Its pop-friendly melody, allied to a typically robust arrangement from Mercury, ensured a #3 spot in the UK and top ten status just about everywhere else in Europe.

The song was given a tweak by Freddie to emphasize the commercial beast within. Roger, along with session musician and all-round arranger Spike Edney, added keyboards. The 12” vinyl mix is longer than the album or 7” version and is comparable to the live versions of this perennial classic, with its ideal sing-along chorus and earworm dynamic.

John Deacon’s “One Year Of Love” features a string arrangement, an alto sax solo by Steve Gregory (but no lead guitars at all), and some fine Yamaha synth from the bass player. It was one of the more unusual songs in the Queen canon to that point.

The Motown flavored “Pain Is So Close To Pleasure” glides along on Mercury’s falsetto with his co-writer, Deacon, providing most of the other ingredients, such as sampler, synth, drum programming, and the melodious rhythm guitar. It was re-mixed for the German and Dutch market and again the 12” version is longer.

“Friends Will Be Friends” is a piano ballad-cum-rock anthem that showcases the best of Freddie’s flamboyancy and Mack’s simpatico and slick production. It leads naturally into Brian’s pivotal moment, “Who Wants To Love Forever,” which is used during one of the most poignant moments in the movie. Often covered, this highlight, though hardly cast in the easy listening mould, shows that Brian and the band were now adept at writing to a brief, while maintaining their integrity.

Brian’s “Gimme The Prize (Kurgan’s Theme),” a duet between the guitarist and Freddie, is the most soundtrack-conscious piece on the album, largely because of Michael Kamen’s orchestration, although it’s also given a metal slant by May.

Roger’s “Don’t Lose Your Head” is most eclectic and it could be argued that the diversity of material on Magic prevents it from sounding totally cohesive. Joan Armatrading is the guest vocalist here and Spike Edney adds the keyboards.

Following a teasing snippet of “Theme From New York, New York,” Queen close the vinyl edition with “Princes Of The Universe,” a tough heavy metal tune that is the only track here to be credited solely to Mercury and is something of a throwback to the older glam sound with punchy lyrics and a brutal beast of a guitar solo.

Favorably received on release in 1986, this album also did wonders for the sales of CD players because the compact disc includes three extra tracks: “A Kind Of “A Kind Of Magic,” “Friends Will Be Friends Will Be Friends,” and “Forever,” the piano version of “Who Wants To Live Forever,” with further orchestral accompaniment. Adding over twelve minutes to the LP these three tracks were jealously viewed by those without the relevant machinery. Frustratingly, Queen didn’t choose to include their excellent version of “Theme From New York, New York.”

Five days after release, Queen were back on the road in Sweden for the Magic spree, including some momentous stadium shows at Wembley, Maine Road, Rayo Vallecano, and, crucially Knebworth Park, where an estimated 200,000 took the combined attendance over the million mark with every single concert sold right out.

But this success would be tempered once news of Freddie’s illness started to break. The Magic tour was the last time he appeared on stage with the others. This being Mercury, they certainly went out with a bang. Those who attended Knebworth wouldn’t have known that, but it was certainly a privilege to have been there on the night of August 9, 1986. That is a date indelibly marked in every true Queen fan’s soul.

Queen then took a substantial amount of time off and also severed their partnership with Rheinhold Mack and the Munich connection. Next time the magic would be replaced by the miracle.

May 23, 2020 at 4:14 pm

Teasing snippet of “New York,New York” on the album? Alternate reality dude!

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Queen: It’s A Kinda Magic

The Opera House, 18th Apr 2021

Reviewed by: Graeme King

“Are we gonna have fun tonight Wellington?” shouts Freddie Mercury (Dominic Warren) during the concert starter A Kind Of Magic, and it’s obvious the audience is in for an interactive experience.

“This is a rock ‘n’ roll gig so we’re gonna treat it as a stadium – on your feet!” This at the start of the second track Radio Ga Ga , and we are up dancing!

This concert is a recreation of the 1986 World Tour – and a lot of attention has been paid to ensure the authenticity of the costumes, instruments and equipment, background videos, stunning lightshow, and state-of-the-art sound system.  

All their biggest hits follow: Another One Bites the Dust, featuring the solid bass guitar of John Deacon (Nigel Walker), Play The Game and Killer Queen , with Brian May (Luke Wyngaard) exquisitely playing the famous guitar riffs, Fat Bottomed Girls and Tie Your Mother Down featuring a thunderous but impeccable drum solo by Roger Taylor (Michael Dickens). Bicycle Race, Save Me, Don’t Stop Me Now – after which Freddie asks for a selfie with the band, and for the audience to stand and raise their hands, with Crazy Little Thing Called Love closing the first half.

A frenetic I Want It All starts the second set , with It’s A Hard Life segueing effortlessly into You’re My Best Friend. A superb guitar solo by Brian May is followed by I Want To Break Free , whereupon Freddie (in drag) comes down into the first few rows to sit on a few male laps – rubbing some with his feather boa!

The hits keep coming – Hammer To Fall, Under Pressure, Somebody To Love, We Are The Champions – with the last song of the set the anthemic We Will Rock You.

The encore starts with Love Of My Life featuring Brian May’s sublime acoustic guitar playing and gorgeous vocals by Freddie, finishing with a climactic Bohemian Rhapsody.

Overall a clever, well-spaced production that, with the strong vocal harmonies and musicianship of the band together with Freddie’s powerful vocals and stage presence, creates an enjoyable Queen experience.

QUEEN: IT’S A KINDA MAGIC

Wednesday, may 8.

show: 8:00 pm | doors open: 7:00 pm

OTHER SCHEDULE

ALL AGES event.

Following the huge success of its 2023 Canadian national tour, Queen: It’s a Kinda Magic is RETURNING IN 2024 by popular demand!   See the rock spectacular that everyone RAVED about, bringing their big sound, big screens, crazy lighting and outlandish costumes back for a night of non-stop rock anthems, including Bohemian Rhapsody, We Will Rock You, We Are the Champions, Radio GaGa, I Want to Break Free, Somebody to Love, Don’t Stop Me Now, Another One Bites the Dust and so many more.   Featuring Dominic Warren reprising his role as ‘Freddie Mercury’ and performing vocals, piano and guitar all LIVE ON STAGE and in original key.

Don’t miss the REAL ROCK EXPERIENCE, direct from Australia!

Regular | from CA$68.50

Child 2-12 years old | CA$49.50

6 tickets and more | CA$73.50

• Phone. : (514) 845-3524 (Monday to Friday: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.)

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Magic - A Kind of Queen

• EVENT INFORMATION
• Date : Saturday 5th September
• Time : 7.30 pm

MAGIC, the first and best tribute to Queen, perform all of Queen’s greatest hits plus some you may not have heard for a while, in their latest show for 2015.

In the days of pre-recorded backing tracks - Magic perform completely live! With five vocals to back up the powerful lead vocal of the dynamic Roger Brown, Magic can recreate all the complex harmonies that are Queen’s trademark recording sound. This, along with two guitars, bass, drums and the brilliant piano and keyboard skills of Dave Chapman, produces a sound that is second to none. While not attempting to emulate Queen visually, Magic creates all the excitement of a Queen live show - not to be missed.

Magic are no strangers to the big stage. They headlined a concert in Gorky Park, Moscow (by request of the Russian government) and have played venues in Hong Kong, America, the Middle East and throughout Europe. Closer to home they’ve performed their Magic a kind of Queen show, twice, at the world famous London Palladium and in countless other theatres and concert halls throughout Britain. All in all, a background that’s given them, experience to deliver a world class show to remember.

“A superb show” Jim Jenkins, Queen Biographer

“Magic are a brilliant band” Jacky Smith, Official Queen Fan Club secretary

• Date: Saturday 5th September
• Time: 7.30 pm
• Sorry, this event has now passed and ticket sales are no longer available .

Please note booking fee applies

• EXTRA SHOW INFO

Doors to Bars: 6.30pm

Seats Open: 7.00pm

Show Start: 7.30pm

Interval: 8.30pm Approx

2nd Half: 8.50pm Approx

Show End: 10.00pm Approx

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Queen Kick Off Their “Rhapsody Tour” in Baltimore: Photos + Setlist

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The post Queen Kick Off Their “Rhapsody Tour” in Baltimore: Photos + Setlist appeared first on Consequence .

Queen ruled Baltimore’s CFG Bank Arena Wednesday night (October 4th) as they kicked off their North American “Rhapsody Tour.”

Original band members Brian May and Roger Taylor — plus vocalist Adam Lambert — spent two hours tearing through over two dozen Queen tunes, with a career-spanning setlist that featured both their biggest hits as well as fan-favorite deep cuts.

Notably, the band played “Is This the World We Created…?” live with Lambert for the first time, and dusted off “Stone Cold Crazy” after more than five years.

May, Taylor, and Lambert were backed by Queen’s longtime keyboard player Spike Edney, bass guitarist Neil Fairclough, and percussionist Tyler Warren, comprising an ensemble whose sound filled the entire arena. It was a night that served as a tribute to Freddie Mercury, keeping his songs and spirit alive without ever overshadowing his bright legacy.

Check out some photos of Queen’s tour kickoff and see the full setlist below.

Get Queen + Adam Lambert Tickets Here

Queen’s North American tour dates continue through November 12th in Los Angeles, and you can grab tickets to the upcoming concerts here .

Setlist: Radio Ga Ga Hammer to Fall Stone Cold Crazy Another One Bites the Dust I’m in Love With My Car Bicycle Race Fat Bottomed Girls I Want It All A Kind of Magic Killer Queen Don’t Stop Me Now Somebody to Love Love of My Life ’39 (Drum Solo) Under Pressure Tie Your Mother Down Crazy Little Thing Called Love I Want to Break Free You Take My Breath Away Who Wants to Live Forever (Guitar Solo) Is This the World We Created…? The Show Must Go On Bohemian Rhapsody

Encore: Ay‐Oh We Will Rock You Radio Ga Ga (Reprise) We Are the Champions

Queen + Adam Lambert Tour Dates: 10/05 – Baltimore, MD @ CFG Bank Arena 10/08 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena 10/10 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena 10/12 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden 10/13 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden 10/15 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden 10/16 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden 10/18 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center 10/23 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena 10/25 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena 10/27 – St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center 10/28 – St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center 10/30 – Chicago, IL @ United Center 10/31 – Chicago, IL @ United Center 11/02 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center 11/03 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center 11/05 – Denver, CO @ Ball Arena 11/08 – San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center 11/09 – San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center 11/11 – Los Angeles, CA @ BMO Stadium 11/12 – Los Angeles, CA @ BMO Stadium

Queen Kick Off Their “Rhapsody Tour” in Baltimore: Photos + Setlist Abby Jones

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Queen: It's A Kinda Magic

Immerse yourself in the spectacle, grandeur and energy of the world’s greatest Rock band with Queen: It’s a Kinda Magic , celebrating the legacy of Queen and Freddie Mercury.

You’ve seen Bohemian Rhapsody at the cinemas, now see it all come alive on stage and in concert, with big sound, big screens, crazy lighting and outlandish costumes… the REAL ROCK EXPERIENCE!

Showtime Australia proudly introduces Dominic Warren performing lead vocals, guitar and piano live on stage in Freddie’s original key, and with all the wit, charm and bravado of the legend himself. South African Rusty Red takes on the famous guitar riffs of Brian May, Michael Dickens conjures Roger Taylor on drums and Andre van der Merwe is John Deacon on bass guitar.

Get ready for a night of non-stop Rock anthems including We Will Rock You, We Are the Champions, Radio GaGa, I Want to Break Free, Somebody to Love, Don’t Stop Me Now, Another One Bites the Dust, A Kind of Magic, Bohemian Rhapsody and so many more.

Take a night out to indulge your senses and celebrate a band of true talent, genius and character – Queen!

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CAPE TOWN FOR CAPETONIANS

Queen: It’s a Kinda Magic is coming to Cape Town

International hit show, Queen: It’s a Kinda Magic , will bring its stadium-rock tribute concert to South Africa this year, visiting  Cape Town’s Grand Arena, GrandWest, on Saturday 10 September.

Producer Johnny Van Grinsven from Showtime Australia says he is thrilled to be able to present the show to full arena audiences thanks to the lifting of capacity restrictions, which was announced by the South African government last week:

“Queen deserves to be listened to in a big room with big sound and lighting and effects and all the spectacle and grandeur of a true rock concert, and that’s what we intend to bring.”

The show promises over two hours of Queen hits performed live on stage and in original key, and features KZN-local Warren Vernon-Driscoll in the starring role as ‘Freddie Mercury’.

Fans will hear Bohemian Rhapsody , We Will Rock You , We Are the Champions , I Want to Break Free , Don’t Stop Me Now , Somebody to Love , Under Pressure , Fat-Bottomed Girls, Another One Bites the Dust , Radio Ga Ga and more.

The details: 

• Date: Saturday 10 September 2022
• Location: Grand Arena, GrandWest, Cape Town
• Tickets:   iTickets.co.za

Explore Cape Town from a different angle with these tours with a twist if(window.isMobile != null || window.isTablet != null){ document.write(' '); document.write(' '); googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('dfp-300x250-3'); }); document.write(' '); }

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Article written by capeetc

We love this place! Cape Town Etc features news, reviews, entertainment and lifestyle in the Mother City.

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Watch: Queen The Greatest - The Magic Tour, Part 2 (Episode 34)

“Queen The Greatest”: a celebration of 50 of the greatest moments from the Queen story so far. A 50-week YouTube series celebrating key moments in Queen’s history reminding us why Queen and their music continue to be loved across the world.

Queen arrive for their final 1986 concert at Knebworth Park, U.K., in the ‘Magic Helicopter’ customised with the art from the band’s A Kind of Magic album.

Queen The Greatest Episode 34: Queen 1986: The Magic Tour – Part 2

Continuing our look at Queen's record-breaking Magic Tour. As the tour reaches its climax, and within just a few short weeks of each other, Queen play three of their most memorable and iconic gigs.

“We always believed that we had something special and that we could do anything that anyone else did. That’s the kind of belief that kept us going in the early days. But I don’t think we quite believed what would happen. I don’t think we even knew what was possible.” Brian May.

“I think that in some form or another the music will always continue now, I think they’ve reached that status. Nobody knows whether Mick Jagger will be singing when he’s 65, or Queen will be performing as Queen. I think that the Queen structure will continue on, and they will continue to make music.”  Jim Beach, Manager.

Queen The Greatest returns this week with a second installment revisiting the band’s sensational and record-breaking 1986 Magic Tour.

Having already blazed a trail with 14 sold-out shows around the UK and Europe setting milestones along the way, Queen returned to London in July 1986 to play two nights at London’s 72,000 capacity Wembley Stadium – the site of their extraordinary and historic performance at Live Aid the previous year.

Yet despite the band having reached an all-time high popularity, they weren’t taking it for granted that their first home ground shows since Live Aid would sell out…

Brian May: “We’ve been away a long time and tickets will go on sale for Wembley on Friday. And it’s always a time when you sort of go ‘I wonder what is out there? I wonder if they still do want to see us?’ You never know. We’ll only know once the applications start coming in.”

The close on 150,000 tickets on sale sold out in a matter of hours, and these memorable nights were captured on camera and remain one of Queen’s best-loved live shows to this very day.

Roger Taylor: “I think Wembley was a tough gig, because of the actual physical size of it. You’d better go down well there, you don’t want a quiet audience. I’ve seen people die there, because you won’t hear them. If it’s a ripple, a ripple really won’t register. So you need a roar. They call it the Wembley Roar. And it was OK for us. You knew you were going to have to work quite hard at Wembley.”

Then as Queen hit the road once again, a new adventure awaited them…

[Interviewer]: “I think there’s only one country you’ve never been to before?”

Roger Taylor: “That’d be Hungary. Yeah. Budapest.”

[Interviewer] “So that is new ground?”

Roger Taylor: “ It’s great, yeah. We’re very excited about that. There are people from all over the Iron Curtain bloc coming. They’re selling tickets in…or whatever they do over there. Do they sell tickets?”

[Interviewer] “I presume so?”

Roger Taylor: “Or give them away? I don’t know, I don’t know. Whatever they do, people are coming from Poland and Czechoslovakia, and a lot of the Eastern Bloc, which is very exciting. ‘Cos the Russians would never let us in.”

Freddie Mercury: “I like doing places that we’ve never done before, to see how they’re going to react. Some places that we’ve already been before, we have a certain idea of how, what they’re going to do. But this is going to be great. It’s going to be great to see if they do the same things, if they have seen the films and whether they’re going to do the same things for Radio Ga Ga and things like that. That should be very interesting, a good challenge.”

Making history as the first artists to ever perform anywhere behind the Iron Curtain, the band’s July 27 show would be played to an audience of over 80,000. Filmed using nearly every available 35m television camera available in the country the concert would go on to further make history by being broadcast at the end of the year across the Communist Bloc including Czechoslovakia, East Germany, and Yugoslavia as well as being shown in 59 Hungarian cinemas on New Year’s Day 1987.

Drawing to a close with only dates still to be played in France and Spain, the overwhelming demand back in the UK prompted promoters to hastily add one last massive show to the schedule – at the famous Knebworth Park, where the band would end their tour performing an open air show before an audience variously estimated at between 160,000 and 200,000. Since the start of the tour, June 7, Queen would end up playing to a fraction over one million people.

Brian May: “We always believed that we had something special and that we could do anything that anyone else did. That’s the kind of thing, that’s the kind of belief that kept us going in the early days. But I don’t think we quite believed what would happen. I don’t think we even knew what was possible.”

Jim Beach, Manager: “I think that in some form or another the music will always continue now, I think they’ve reached that status that their music will be remembered. How much longer they record…goodness only knows. Nobody knows whether Mick Jagger will be singing when he’s 65, or Queen will be performing as Queen. I think that the Queen structure will continue on, and they will continue to make music. How it will be…nobody ever knows that, really.”

Freddie Mercury: “We’re the only sort of, the four Grand Dames that have actually stuck it together.”

John Deacon: “Yes you do ask how long it’s going to go on really, and we’ve been doing it a long time now, and I don’t know. If I could tell the future, life would be quite boring I think.”

Signing off at the close of the band’s August 9, 1986, Knebworth concert, Freddie thanked the crowd saying: “Thank you lovely people, you’ve been a wonderful audience. God bless you. God bless you, goodnight, thank you.”

No one knew this yet, but this was to be Queen’s last-ever public performance with Freddie.

Credit: Photography by Denis O'Regan. © Queen Productions Ltd.

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• 5th November 2021 Watch: Queen The Greatest - The Magic Tour, Part 2 (Episode 34)

Queen The Greatest Episode 33: Queen 1986: The Magic Tour – Part 1

“Queen The Greatest”: a celebration of 50 of the greatest moments from the Queen story so far.

A 50-week YouTube series celebrating key moments in Queen’s history reminding us why Queen and their music continue to be loved across the world.

Queen The Greatest Episode 33: Queen 1986: The Magic Tour – Part 1 It’s 1986 and preparations are underway for what would become Queen’s biggest and most successful stadium tour. This is the first in a two-part story going behind the scenes of the record breaking Magic Tour.

“Strangely enough, when you’re used to large audiences, 100,000 is almost less terrifying in some ways, than 5000.” Roger Taylor

“There was a trend a few years ago, with the punk movement and whatever, where they said, ‘Oh, we want to play to the small audiences because we’re being intimate, and all that.’ Load of rubbish. I mean everybody who wants to be a star wants to play to the biggest audiences.” Freddie Mercury.

This week’s Queen The Greatest episode celebrates Queen’s now legendary 1986 stadium tour of Europe – The Magic Tour.

Rejuvenated by their history making Live Aid performance a year earlier, and the success of their A Kind Of Magic album, June 1986 saw Queen return to touring for what would be the biggest series of concerts of Queen’s career, and although the band had played vast venues before, there was a sense that this tour would take it to another level…

“We’re going to play the biggest stage ever built at Wembley with the greatest light show ever seen,” Roger Taylor told journalists ahead of the tour.

The band would undertake 26 performances at twenty separate locations in the UK and nine European countries over an eight-week period including their first and only show in Budapest, Hungary.

Such was the vast scale and scope of the under-taking, the bridge-like stage structure required the services of a company normally involved in motorway and bridge construction. The trucks transporting the equipment would cover over 165,000 miles, the equivalent of nearly seven times around the world.

Talking here in the preparation stage, the band speak of the commitment they were taking on, with only Freddie expressing concerns about the weight such a massive tour would levy, but non-the-less expressing his enthusiasm for performing for large audiences.

Roger Taylor: “The thing we are all looking forward to most at the moment is this European tour.”

John Deacon: “And that’s quite a commitment from us in a way, because Freddie’s sometimes a little reluctant to go on the road these days.” Freddie Mercury: “It’s been a while since we actually did a tour. It’s very, very exhausting for me to do what I have to do. The stages are getting bigger and everything, and you know I just like to feel that I’m perfectly fit to do these shows, and not just say ‘yes I’ll do it.”

John Deacon: “We’re starting on it now really, ideas for the staging, the lighting and that sort of thing.”

[Interviewer] “This particular tour you’re doing, you’re taking a hundred and sixty foot stage, which is the biggest ever constructed for a rock act?”

Roger Taylor: “Yes, it’s an absolutely massive stage. It’s really been designed to cope with the places that we’re playing in. To get the optimum out of those places.”

Brian May: “We usually go in someplace like a film studio which has this big, open…like an aircraft hanger I suppose…and just set everything up and put everything through its paces.”

Brian May: “Because it’s not enough for us to be rehearsed, we make sure every single lamp, every wire, is set up so everything’s going to be given a run through, so all the bugs can be ironed out before we get on tour. It’s like a full dress rehearsal.”

John Deacon: “We’ve been playing for so many years now, we do feel very relaxed playing in quite big gigs as well really.”

Roger Taylor: “Strangely enough, when you’re used to large audiences, 100,000 is almost less terrifying in some ways, than 5000.”

Roger Taylor: “It’s a strange thing with our band, the bigger the audience the better it seems to work. The audience contact seems to be better with the larger audiences.”

Brian May: “Once you’re on tour, I like to get on and do it. I don’t like to be hanging around on tour. I like to get in as much as you can because you can build up this great rhythm, and you get into the mood and the feel of playing, you play better each night, I think. If you see us at the end of the tour, we are a lot different from what we are at the beginning of the tour, because we’re in that rhythm.”

Brian May: “I suppose it’s almost like being an athlete, you just work on yourself and you have nothing else to think about, except doing your bit for that two hours as well as you can.”

Freddie Mercury: “There was a trend a few years ago, with the punk movement and whatever, where they said, “Oh, we want to play to the small audiences because we’re being intimate, and all that.” Load of rubbish. I mean everybody who wants to be a star wants to play to the biggest audiences.”

As will be seen in part 2, over the final few weeks of the tour, Queen would perform three of their biggest and most iconic gigs – demonstrating why they are regarded as the greatest live act.

Next week: Queen 1986 : The Magic Tour, Part 2

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